The Book of Eli Hollywood Movie Review
Full Cast And Crew
Cast:
Denzel Washington as Eli
Gary Oldman as Carnegie
Mila Kunis as Solara
Ray Stevenson as Redridge
Jennifer Beals as Claudia
Evan Jones as Martz
Joe Pingue as Hoyt
Frances de la Tour as Martha
Michael Gambon as George
Tom Waits as Engineer
Chris Browning as Hijack Leader
Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes
Sometime in the not-too-distant future, 30 years after the final war, one man travels West (yes, for 30 years) across the wasteland that was once America. Desolate miles of skeletons in abandoned vehicles. Empty cities, broken highways, scorched earth—all around him, the marks of catastrophic destruction. There is no civilization as we know today. And there is no law. The roads belong to gangs that rape and pillage. They are survivors who would kill a man for his shoes, an ounce of water—or for no reason at all. Yet none of them prove to be any match for a man named Eli when they challenge his will—or should I say God’s will.
Eli (Denzel Washington) is a warrior by calling and seeks only peace. But, if challenged, he will cut (literally) his attackers down before they realize their mistake. It’s not his own life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future and a most important book (the only one of its kind left) that will provide the foundation for that future; a hope he has carried and protected for 30 years and is determined until death to realize. Driven by this commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, Eli does what he must to survive—and continue. Now this is fire and brimstone!
Only one other man in this ruined world understands the power Eli holds because it was part of his own upbringing. And he is determined to make it his own: Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the self-appointed ruler of a makeshift town of thieves and gunmen. Meanwhile, Carnegie’s adopted daughter Solara (the lovely Mila Kunis) is fascinated by Eli for another reason: the glimpse he offers of what may exist beyond her stepfather’s painful kingdom. And the example he sets by not only his words, but also his actions. Eli walks by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). And he must keep moving to fulfill his destiny and bring help to a ravaged humanity.
I saw a screening of The Book of Eli last night and what I liked most about this classic good versus evil movie was that it had something to say about commitment, sacrifice, survival and human nature. It wasn’t just another hokey, post-apocalyptic, pseudo-Western, action-adventure (not that there’s anything wrong with that). There’s a theme of believing you can do something. And then seeing it through and getting it done—based on faith. Denzel Washington’s portrayal as a reverent superhero actually works. And if the goal of the movie was to make me appreciate life and how precious it is—or at least offer a reminder—that worked, too.
Watch Online Trailer
